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The Election Commission of India (ECI) has told the Supreme Court that the law does not require it to prepare or share any separate list of names of people missing from draft electoral rolls or publish the reasons for their non-inclusion "for any reason" whatsoever.
Responding on the allegations by NGO Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) that over 65 lakh names had been deleted from Bihar's draft electoral rolls without transparency and without disclosure of whether the deletions related to deceased persons, migrants, or other categories, ECI said no eligible voter in Bihar will be removed from the electoral rolls without prior notice during the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) in the state. The ECI further said that no such lists need to be prepared or shared of "previous" electors whose enumeration forms were not received. Reiterating the need for an opportunity to be heard and a reasoned order, the poll panel stressed that "strict directions" have been issued to prevent wrongful deletions during the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) in the state. The top court has already fixed the hearing on August 12 and 13 of a batch of pleas challenging the Election Commission of India's move to conduct SIR of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar. The affidavit further stated, "After the publication of the draft rolls, the political parties were supplied with an updated list of names of electors not included in the draft roll so as to ensure all attempts are made to reach out to these individuals and no eligible elector is left out. The political parties have acknowledged receipt of the said list. Here, it is also pertinent to point out that the list includes acknowledgements on behalf of CPI(M-L) as well." Booth Level Officers (BLOs) had held polling station meetings with Booth Level Agents (BLAs) of political parties on August 7, almost a week after the publication of the preliminary electoral roll on August 1, it said. The poll panel submitted, "The list of electors whose names could not be included in the draft electoral roll were read out and shared and appeals were made to the BLAs and others to reach out to them so that no eligible voter can be left out." (ANI)
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